Chanel Fall/Winter 2023 Collection: Chanel Camellia in Bloom

On March 7, Chanel presented its Fall-Winter 2023 collection at Paris Fashion Week. Japanese actress Nana Komatsu who was the main ambassador of this show appeared with her husband and Japanese actor Masaki Sugata in the front row.

Nana Komatsu’s campaign visuals were used extensively for this show, from the invitations to guests to the magnificent screen at the show venue to the giant camellia set up in the center of the runway, and Komatsu expressed her surprise and delight at the extravagance.

Black Pink Jennie Kim and Park Seo-Joon, a Korean actor known for his role in the Korean drama “Itaewon Class,” also attended the show. The moment they arrived at the venue, they were greeted with cheers from the many fans waiting around the venue.

This show spotlighted Chenel’s iconic camellia.

Founder of the Maison, Gabrielle Coco Chanel first used the camellia in 1913 and she was wearing one pinned to her belt in the photograph, and also started to feature the camellia in her subsequent collections from 1924 onward.

As the successor to Coco Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld who was at the helm of the house for 36 years, had presented collections with camelia as a main symbol. At his fall haute couture show in 2005, he created a stir with a wedding gown embroidered with 4,000 camellias.

The brand’s current creative director Virginie Viard who worked as Lagerfeld’s right-hand woman for 30 years, also has taken up the theme for the 2020 Métiers d’Art show, presenting items including the camelia jacket, which has become a collector’s item. Viard said in her press release of the show, “The camellia is more than a theme, it’s an eternal code of the house” “I find it reassuring and familiar, I like its softness and its strength,” she added.

As the show began, the look featured an abundance of camellias in variations of black, white, and gray. A long, slim coat with a white camelia design appeared, and a shiny leather coat had a large black camelia on the collar like a corsage. Also, camellias of different sizes were randomly placed on cardigans and knitwear, creating a dotted pattern. Camellias also bloomed in every other part of the collection, from the embroidery and buttons on each look to the details of accessories such as chain belts, and bags.

In the middle of the show, many tweed suits which are the symbol of the Maison appeared. Tweed jackets were made even more feminine and elegant with large ruffled skirts attached to asymmetries and large spiral-tiered skirts with ruffles.

As the finale approached, soft dresses in pale pink, red, and violet colors appeared, with ruffles and lace details creating a romantic, girly mood. The look of camellia-patterned silk dresses layered over sweaters and long johns were reminiscent of today’s Parisian sashaying through the streets.

Although it is still cold in Paris, the Chanel show with its many camelia in full bloom gave visitors an early sign of spring.